When your child gets a diagnosis, the next question for most parents comes fast: now what? Author, professor, and adoptive mom Nefertiti Austin joins Elaine Taylor-Klaus to talk about raising her spirited, neurodivergent daughter. They cover the "pinball of parenting," the expectations that didn't work out, and the moment she stopped trying to squeeze her kid into a box she'd never fit and started encouraging the person she was. They also get honest about adoptive parenting and what happens at school when race is added to neurodivergence. If you're wondering what comes after diagnosis—or if diagnosis wasn’t the fix you’d hoped it would be—this one's for you.

What to expect in this episode:

• A diagnosis is a starting point, not an endpoint. The real work begins with the question "now what?"
• Therapies and tools can help, but expecting them to change everything in a few months sets everyone up for failure.
• at your child's pace, and asking them directly "is this working for you?" builds progress that lasts.
• When adults insist a child fit into a box they'll never fit, both parent and child get hurt. Trusting your instincts and following your child's lead can change everything.
• Kids of colour with brain differences are often labeled negatively before anyone considers an assessment, so parents and educators need to give every child the benefit of the doubt.
  
  
  

About Nefertiti Austin

Nefertiti Austin is an adjunct professor of History and African American Studies, a speaker, and the author of two books exploring race, motherhood, and neurodiversity. Her newest book, She's Just Spirited, offers a lens into parenting a neurodiverse girl — navigating schools, therapists, and the emotional terrain of raising a child whose spirit is worth protecting at every turn.

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Something's going on with your kid. Maybe you have a diagnosis, maybe you don't, but it feels like someone should be able to help you make it all easier. In this episode of Parenting with Impact, Elaine and Diane look back at what they wish they'd known when they started parenting their own neurodivergent kids: how it’s a long game, how you'll end up as the expert in your child, and why it’s so important for relationship to come first. If you're at the start of your ADHD parenting journey (or wish you could start over), hit play—then pass it along to a parent who needs it.

What to expect in this episode:

• You'll learn why an ADHD diagnosis is the start of a long-term journey, and why setting that expectation early reduces overwhelm.
• You'll hear why parents have to become the expert in their own child, and how that helps you educate and advocate with schools and providers.
• You'll see why how you show up (calm or escalating) shapes your child's experience more than any single strategy.
• You'll get a practical approach to deciding whether and how to tell your child about their diagnosis.
• You'll learn why kids thrive when parents believe they're going to be okay, and why the relationship is the foundation of everything else.
  
  
  

Download free guide: Top 12 Tips To Help Your Complex Kids

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When it comes to parenting a complex kid, the change you've been working towards often shows up over years, not overnight. In this week’s episode, Elaine and Diane sit down with longtime ImpactParents member Andrea Osborne for a success story about parenting her ADHD daughter from the diagnosis she received after middle school through her big leap into college. Andrea gets real about letting go, grieving the kid she thought she'd have, and learning to lead with acknowledgment instead of correction. If you've ever wondered how things can feel like a mess and like you’re making real progress at the same time, this one's for you. Give it a listen.

What to expect in this episode:

• Andrea Osborne shares how her ADHD diagnosis journey with her daughter began after a difficult middle school experience and evolved through high school, the pandemic, and the transition to college.
• Listeners will hear a practical reframe for staying connected to a young adult child: giving them room to lead while remaining close enough to offer support when it's needed.
• The episode offers a clear example of leading with acknowledgment before correction, and why that shift changes the tone of a parent-child relationship.
• Andrea describes the process of grieving the child she expected in order to make room to fully embrace the child she has, a theme she and the hosts return to throughout the conversation.
• The conversation shows how caregiving for a parent with dementia and parenting a child with ADHD can draw on the same coaching tools and the same core skill: letting go of what you can't control.
  
  

Download free guide: Top 12 Tips To Help Your Complex Kids

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